(Round Rock, TX)- Today, Congressman John Carter (TX-31) made the following statement after the Department of Defense Inspector General released their report regarding juvenile-on-juvenile crime on military installations. As the top republican on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations subcommittee, Representative Carter included language in the FY19 NDAA bill and appropriations bill to require the IG to investigate this issue across the Department of Defense.

“The report solidifies a disturbing truth. On hundreds of occasions, serious juvenile-on-juvenile misconduct went unreported or ignored, meaning victims didn’t receive help and perpetrators didn’t face consequences. The absence of accountability caused by a lack of definitive policy across the Department of Defense is not only disappointing, it’s unacceptable. This jurisdictional blackhole left victims and their families wading through a web of bureaucracy subject to individual discretion.

“While this report brings light to this ongoing problem within the Department of Defense, that is only one step to ensuring that juvenile-on-juvenile crime is addressed. The DOD must immediately establish a strict policy that hands jurisdiction of juvenile-on-juvenile sexual crimes to civilian authorities who can properly prosecute the matters, like my MINOR Act required. I will continue to hold the Defense Department accountable and keep fighting for justice for victims of crime.”

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